While the website hasn't published any golden quotes from the man himself on the matter, it claims Chia-lin said HTC plans to launch an 'own-brand' tablet in 2015. It doesn't sound as though HTC plans to undercut the Nexus 9 significantly, if at all, though.

All about the money

"It's not a profitable market," HTC North Asia President Jack Tong said of the budget tablet space, referring to tablets under $5000 in New Taiwanese dollars. That equates to around $160 or £100.

"There is actually a bit more room for growth and product differentiation in the high-end and mid-tier tablet segments," said Tong.

Could a fully HTC-branded take on the Nexus 9 be on the cards? Selling for £319/$399, it slots into the right price bands Tong refers to.

If the 2015 HTC tablet surfaces, it'll be the first HTC-brand tablet to be released since the 2011 HTC Flyer, whose sales figures were presumed so low they were never revealed by HTC.

That didn't stop Google from partnering with HTC to make the Nexus 9. You can check out how it did in our Nexus 9 review, coming soon.